. The primary aim of this program is to prepare and evaluate new classes of membrane-disrupting polymers ("SUPRAMOLECULAR SURFACTANTS") as potential chemotherapeutic agents for the treatment of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). The immediate chemical objectives of this research are to synthesize a broad series of amphiphilic polyesters and polyamides from saturated,unsaturated and aromatic organic diacids plus poly (ethylene glycol)s and poly (ethylene glycol)-derived diamines, and to define their specific interactions with model biomembranes. The biological objectives of this work are to characterize the in vitro antiviral properties of each polymer towards the human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1), and to search for correlations which may exist between membrane disrupting power and anti-HIV activity.